- Dec 7, 2011
- 2,366
- 38
RB, can you expand a little on why you don't like the crop (or drop curve) for a righty? Thanks!
Righty pitcher to mostly righty batters the ball stays on swing plane. IE easier to hit.
RB, can you expand a little on why you don't like the crop (or drop curve) for a righty? Thanks!
I've observed that when a batter misses the ball the vast majority of the time they miss by swinging under the ball. Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't a peal drop tend to help these batters?
If batters miss more often under the ball, isn't a riseball still a top, possibly the top, pitch if the pitcher can actually mix it up with a drop-ball and change-up?
Q: Why is the drop becoming more important in college softball?
A: Hot bats. In the old days, a good riseball pitcher would get strikeouts, popups and a few flyballs. With the modern hot bats, many of those popups are ending up on the other side of the fence. It is amazing how many mishit balls which should be outs end up over the fence. If a pitcher throws a drop, the ball gets hit hard, it will be a double at best.
A peel drop in arguably the fastest pitch a pitcher can throw, my guess is it has the most complete IR.
My other guess is the only pitch thrown with no IR is maybe a certain style of change up.
No IR = slow.
this video shows a roll-over drop Angela Tincher Drop Ball - YouTube
I've observed that when a batter misses the ball the vast majority of the time they miss by swinging under the ball. Maybe I'm wrong, but wouldn't a peal drop tend to help these batters?
If batters miss more often under the ball, isn't a riseball still a top, possibly the top, pitch if the pitcher can actually mix it up with a drop-ball and change-up?
That is not what I said.
Here is what I wrote:
Cat Osterman does not throw a better drop than my DD. They are about the same.
BUT: That does *NOT* mean my DD was as good as Cat Osterman. Cat is a much, much better pitcher than my DD. Cat has a great rise and great changeup, which is why she is one of the best pitchers ever.
My DD couldn't throw a rise at all, and my DD's change was awful. She had pinpoint control with her fastball and drop, and she changed speeds with her drop.
1) Emphasis on the word *actually*. There aren't many pitchers who can throw a *GOOD* drop and a *GOOD* rise. It is very, very difficult to throw both. In my 30+ years of watching softball, I've never seen an 18U kid at a TB tournament with the ability to throw both. (The pitcher has to be able to throw a rise or a drop close enough to the strike zone to make a good batter swing. Daddies routinely underestimate how difficult it is to throw both of these pitches well.)
2) IMHO, the rise ball is really losing ground. There is a huge difference between college ball and TB hiters. The good college hitters are very good. The good hitters aren't going to whiff a rise. They are going to get a piece of the ball. With the hot bats, balls which should be be pop ups are flying out of the park. (There is a whole team in Lafayette, LA using a split grip and are hitting home runs...these bats are ridiculous.)
Keilanni Ricketts abandoned the rise in the 2013 CWS, probably because of the home runs being hit.